Tuesday, April 26, 2016

By the Gods!

Elaine Stewart is pampered by her handmaidens in THE ADVENTURES OF HAJJI BABA

There's plenty of cheesecake in this old 20th Century Fox Arabian adventure. Out of 10, it would probably rate an 8 for cheesecake. If my memory is correct, this is the first such Arabian adventure filmed in CinemaScope. The first European-made Arabian adventure filmed in CinemaScope was DESERT WARRIOR.

1 comment:

Fun Arabian Nights fantasy flick. You are certainly right about the cheesecake, although "Son of Sinbad" takes the top prize in that category.

Unfortunately this movie is not available on DVD in its original aspect ratio.

A plot issue is the leader of the Turkomen women suspending men to die of thirst in the sun. This is too much like crucifixion. It makes it difficult to care much about the Turkomen women when they get into serious trouble later in the film.

A better approach to dealing harshly with prisoners is found in the British "Chu Chin Chow," where Anna May Wong (and others) are chained to a capstan for opening the treasure cave door.

Amanda Blake (leader of the Turkomen women) is best remembered today as Miss Kitty in "Gunsmoke" Sadly she died at a relatively early age (60) from AIDS. Additionally, she was a heavy smoker who suffered from oral cancer.